PCS Moves Put on Hold Until Shutdown Ends

If you were planning to PCS soon you’ve probably already figured out that your move could be in jeopardy — at least temporarily.

According to the Army, at least, moves for any Soldiers whose new orders were issued after Oct. 1 are on hold until the government reopens. The other services have issued similar guidance.

Of course, the military is the military — and there are always exceptions and loopholes. The best way to find out whether your PCS is impacted by this mess is to check with your command.

If your moves looking anything like ours, orders often come at the last possible second — you may even have a report date before you have orders. And since you’re a planner like me, you may have already given your notice in your home and done every single thing you can do without orders before they finally cut them.

But under the current guidance if your orders are dated after Oct. 1 you’re out of luck. Have to be out of your rental Saturday because a new family is moving in Monday …?

You’re pretty much screwed. And you’ll be out of pocket that hotel money, too, since you’re not authorized TDY.

Awesome, right?

(Again, check with your command to find out if this impacts you).

Fortunately for those living in on-base housing the situation is not quite as dire. Housing offices are obligated to comply with the whim of the military. So if you’re stuck in there for a few more weeks they aren’t going to charge you extra fees or kick you out.

It’s even worse for some families overseas. This servicemember in Hawaii was still in the process of getting her spouse and two kids on the rolls as military dependents and authorized for TDY for their upcoming move to Georgia. But with the government shutdown their dependent paperwork hasn’t been processed. And since their household goods were shipped early this month, they are paying out of pocket for a hotel while they wait.

So we want to know — is the PCS hold impacting you? Are you sitting in a hotel room waiting for the government to reopen so that you can get on with your move? Or are you simply in PCS purgatory — the lovely time when you are waiting to go but can’t quite go yet? Let us know in the comments!

About Amy Bushatz

Amy is the managing editor of Military.com’s spouse and family blog SpouseBuzz.com. A journalist by trade, Amy also covers spouse and family news for Military.com where she is an Associate Editor. An Army wife and mother of two, Amy has been featured as a subject matter expert on NPR and in the New York Times. Follow her on twitter @amybushatz.